Containerized hydrostatic sterilizing system

ABSTRACT

A hydrostatic cooker includes a primary carrier chain running through inlet and outlet water legs and a secondary chain running through an intermediate steam-processing leg, with detachable carrier baskets moved through the legs by the chains. By synchronously driving the two chains at differential velocities, widely spaced carrier baskets on the primary chain can be transferred to and from the secondary chain in closely spaced relation for transit through the steam-processing leg. A reciprocable transfer carriage at the lower ends of the legs simultaneously receives an incoming carrier basket from the inlet water leg and a carrier basket which has passed through the steam leg to process its containers, upon which the carriage shifts to deliver the incoming carrier basket to the steam leg, and the carrier basket with the processed containers to the outlet water leg.

United States Patent 11 1 Reimers et al.

[ 1 Dec. 23, 1975 CONTAINERIZED HYDROSTATIC 3,408,922 11/1968 Mencacci et al. 21/80 x STE I I SYSTEM 3,469,988 9/1969 Yawger 426/407 3,537,819 6/1971 Deakin et al. 1 198/131 X [75] Invent: Jame? Reimels, safatoga; d y 3,606,995 9/1971 Hemel 21/56 x D. Miller, San Jose, both of Calif. 3,619,126 11/1971 Carvallo 21/78 X [73] Assignee: FMC Corporation, San Jose, Calif. gglgg: ZZTE S; X

22 F1 d: Se t. 26 l 7 l 1 p 9 3 286,583 2/1965 15161116113665 [21] Appl. No.: 400,997

Primary Examiner-Barry S. Richman 52 US. Cl. 21/80- 21/56; 21/78; 1*' 21/94; 99/361; 426/407; 426/511; [511 In 2 426/521; 426/523 t. C1. A23L 3/00; A23L 3/04; B6513 55/02 7 5s 1 Field 61 Search 21/78-80, 56, [57] ABSTRACT 21/93, 94; 426/407, 511, 521, 523; 99/362, A hydrostatic cooker includes a primary carrier chain 63, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, running through inlet and outlet water legs and a sec- 370, 371; 198/131, 76, 102 ondary chain running through an intermediate steamprocessing leg, with detachable carrier baskets moved References Cited through the legs by the chains. By synchronously driv- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing the two chains at difi'erential velocities, widely I 9 spaced carrier baskets on the primary chain can be 5321 3 3;; transferred to and from the secondary chain in closely 2,154,978 4/1939 06111162212112... KI 99/361 spaced claim for transit hmugh the steam 2,335,32 0 19 5 m ct 99/36] processing leg. A reciprocable transfer carriage at the 2,660,512 11/1953 Webster 21/56 ends of the legs Simultaneously "waives 2,893,536 7/1959 Jones 21/80 Ux coming carrier basket from the inlet water leg and a 3,045,805 7/1962 Shappell 198/76 carrier basket which has passed through the steam leg 3.058.177 10/1962 Taylor 6! 31. 21/79 to process its containers, upcm whigh the carriage 3,078,979 2/1963 Block 6161 198/82 hift to deliver the incoming carrier basket to the 3,161,526 12/1964 Mencacci 99/370 X 3 268 055 M966 Stew 6 a] gs/I02 X steam leg, and the carrier basket w1th the processed 3,286.619 11/1966 Lfie.......... 21/80 x manners to the outlet Water 3,340,791 9/1967 Mencacci et a1 21/93 ux Claims, Drawing Figures uc\\ q manae'n gl "G OHIMIERIK cmm,s1:\ B

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US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet4 f 23 3,927,976

PROCESSING CHAMBER x 54 us I48 x Q a we L 1 w 79 (mwrs 17 I 1 1 125 1 H6 l a: I INLET OUTLET 12o LEG LEG 59 I M i PROCESSING CHAMBERAZ IF'IB. EI

U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet50f23 3,927,976

76 1 14 r I :5 It I I COOLING J 5 I w- CHAMBER 8o I: I: :L: a";

1 1 OUTLET 5 2 I ,D 68 L LEG 1 a k o 0 c a: 0 oo o u no a o o 0 u o COOLING TUNNEL US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet60f23 3,927,976

mums- 10 ozzwmmooma Nq woN HH m-HII HI NV U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 7 of 23 US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet80f23 3,927,976

US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 9 0f 23 3,927,976

U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 10 01-23 3,927,976

mm mmrwfil QNN N w TDN US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 11 of 23 3,927,976

U.S. Patesnt Dec. 23, 197: Sheet 12 of23 3,927,976

m-N m-MFm-P mum2 I0 GZEwMOOmm US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 13 of23 3,927,976

US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 14 of 23 3,927,976

US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 BASKET UNLOADER, BU

Sheet 16 of 23 F'II:.T| IEII U.S. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 17 of 23 3,927,976

IIIIIIIII/[lll US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 18 of 23 HYDRAULIC PUMP 346 1 PROCESSING iHAN MOTOR LRA3 1 1 L II US. Patent Dec. 23, 1975 Sheet 19 0123 3,927,976 

1. IN A STERILIZER OF TH HYDROSTATIC TYPE FOR PRODUCTS IN CONTAINERS, SAID STERILIZER HAVING INLET AND OUTLET WATER LEGS, AN INTERMEDIATE STEAM PROCESSING LEG, WATER LEG MEANS FOR INTERCONNECTING THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID LEGS, MEANS FOR CONVEYING CONTAINERS THROUGH THE STERILIZER COMPRISING CHAIN MEANS RUNNING THROUGH SAID LEGS, PRODUCT CARRIERS SPACED ALONG SAID CHAIN MEANS AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID CHAIN MEANS; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID CONVEYING MEANS COMPRISES ENDLESS PRIMARY CHAIN MEANS RUNNING THROUGH SAID INLET AND OUTLET LEGS, SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS RUNNING THROUGH SAID PROCESSING LEG, SUPPORTS FOR DETACHABLY MOUNTING PRODUCT CARRIERS UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG SAID PRIMARY CHAIN MEANS AT ONE SPACING AND SIMILAR SUPPORTS UNIFORMLY SPACED ALONG SAID SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS AT A MUCH CLOSER SPACING, SAID CHAIN DRIVING MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS IN SYNCHRONISM AND FOR DRIVING SAID PRIMARY CHAIN MEANS AT A HIGHER SPEED THAN THAT OF SAID SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS, TRANSFER MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID INTERCONNECTING WATER LEG MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING PRODUCT CARRIERS FROM CARRIER SUPPORTS ON A REACH OF SAID PRIMARY CHAIN MEANS THAT IS LEAVING SAID INLET WATER LEG TO CARRIER SUPPORTS ON A REACH OF SAID SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS THAT IS ENTERING SAID PROCESSING LEG AND FOR TRANSFERRING PRODUCT CARRIERS FROM CARRIER SUPPORTS ON A REACH OF SAID SECONDARY CHAIN MEANS THAT IS LEAVING SAID PROCESSING LEG TO CARRIER SUPPORTS ON A REACH OF SAID PRIMAY CHAIN MEANS THAT IS ENTERING SAID OUTLET WATER LEG.
 2. The sterilizer of claim 1, wherein the spacing of the supports on said primary chain means is least twice the length of the spacing on said secondary chain means.
 3. In a sterilizer of the hydrostatic type for products in containers, said sterilizer having upright inlet and outlet water legs, an intermediate steam processing leg and water leg means for interconnecting the lower ends of said legs, means for conveying containers through the sterilizer comprising chain means running up and down through said legs, container carriers spaced along said chain means and means for driving said chain means; the iMprovement wherein said conveying means comprises endless primary chain means running through said water legs and separate endless secondary chain means running through said steam leg, supports spaced along said primary chain means at a relatively wide uniform spacing and along said secondary chain means at a closer uniform spacing, said carriers comprising baskets detachably carried by said supports, said chain driving means including means for driving said primary and secondary chain means in synchronism and for driving said primary chain means at a higher speed than that of said secondary chain means such that the same number of baskets on both said primary ans secondary chain means passes a fixed horizontal reference plane in a given period of time, transfer means disposed in said interconnecting water leg means for transferring baskets from a downwardly running reach of said primary chain means at a lower portion of said inlet water leg to an upwardly running reach of said secondary chain means at a lower portion of said processing leg, and for transferring baskets from a downwardly running reach of said primary chain means at a lower portion of said outlet water leg.
 4. The sterilizer of claim 3, including the further improvement wherein said water and steam processing legs comprise vertically disposed cylindrical shells.
 5. The sterilizer of claim 3, wherein said transfer means comprises horizontally reciprocable carriage means, said carriage means having two longitudinally spaced basket supporting platforms, the distance between the downwardly running reach of said primary chain means in said inlet water leg and the downwardly running reach of said secondary chain means equaling the distance between the upwardly running reach of said secondary chain means and the upwardly running reach of said primary chain means in said outlet water leg, said distance also equaling the distance between said transfer carriage means platforms, and means for reciprocating said carriage means through said distance and in synchronism with the motion of baskets on said chain means.
 6. The sterilizer of claim 3, wherein said primary and secondary chain means each comprises laterally spaced chains, said basket supports comprise opposed pins projecting from said chains, and said baskets include downwardly open hangers for support by said pins.
 7. The sterilizer of claim 6, wherein the basket supports on said secondary chain means include cantilever arms projecting outwardly from each of said spaced chains, said basket supporting pins being adjacent the free ends of said cantilever arms.
 8. The sterilizer of claim 3, wherein each basket has an open top for receiving water, has means for holding water up to a certain level and has means to drain off water near the bottom of the basket while maintaining the water in the basket at said level, and wherein said sterilizer includes hot water sprays in said processing leg for filling the baskets with hot water, and water collecting troughs along the sides of said processing leg for collecting water that drains from said baskets.
 9. The sterilizer of claim 8, wherein said baskets have an apertured false bottom plate, inner side walls that are apertured near the lower edge thereof, upstanding baffles between said inner side walls and adjacent outer side walls of the basket, and drain orifice means formed in a lower portion of said outer sdie wall.
 10. The sterilizer of claim 8, wherein said basket contains layers of containers with perforate divider plates between said layers for conducting water down through the basket.
 11. The sterilizer of claim 3, wherein the further improvement comprises a basket loading station near the lower portion of said water inlet leg and wherein said primary chain means comprises an endless chain that runs from said basket loading station up the outside of said water inlet leg, down through the inlet water leg, across through said interconnecting water leg means, up through said outlet water leg, aNd beneath said interconnecting water leg means back to the basket loading station.
 12. The sterilizer of claim 11, wherein the further improvement comprises a basket unloading station near said basket loading station and return conveyor means separate from said primary chain means for conveying baskets of processed containers that have left said outlet water leg beneath said interconnecting water leg means to said basket unloading station means for transferring baskets that have left said outlet water leg to said return conveyor means, and means for conveying unloaded baskets from said basket unloading station back to said basket loading station.
 13. The sterilizer of claim 12, comprising means for operating said return conveyor intermittently.
 14. The sterilizer of claim 12 comprising a water cooling tunnel running horizontally beneath said interconnecting water leg means, said return conveyor running through said cooling tunnel.
 15. The sterilizer of claim 14 comprising a water cooling chamber projecting up from said cooling tunnel, said primary chain means running through said cooling chamber after leaving said outlet water leg, and cooling water sprays in said cooling chamber. 